Yotsuya Kakuuchi「Suzuden」・ 四谷の角打ち「鈴傳」

My first visit to Suzuden in the Yotsuya neighborhood in the southeastern part of Shinjuku ward in Tokyo was in July, 2024, after I gave a guest lecture at Sophia University's Institute of Comparative Culture about my ethnographic research of a tachinomiya「立ち呑み屋」standing bar in Osaka. My colleagues from the University thought a nearby tachinomiya would be an appropriate setting for the after-party. At the time, I was tired and hot from the lecture, and sweating after a 10-minute walk in my sports jacket carrying a heavy backpack containing artifacts and gear. I was also hungry and thirsty. We were lucky to be amongst the last customers to squeeze our way into the shop and make it to the counter. It was almost closing time. I could tell that this place was special. It had that tradtional vibe that I am so fond of in my drinking establishments. The nihonshu was excellent and the last remaining snacks of the evening were tasty. I really didn't have time to take in the full experience of Suzuden or take photographs. But I knew I had to return.

And I did return the very next afternoon, although this time I was too early. The tachinomiya was not open yet. I looked around Suzuden's liquor store (the original and main part of the business) and felt like a kid in a candy shop with all the bottles of nihonshu, shochu, whiskey, wine... I asked a staff member to recommend a nice bottle of nihonshu and was shown a premium sake from a famous brewery in Niigata; the brewery made this particular brand only to be sold at Suzuden. I bought two bottles. I talked with other staff members a bit and asked permission to take photos. Despite a displaying "No Photographs" sign, they gave me permission. I was able to go downstairs to see their sake cellar (described on their web site as a "underground refrigerated storage room, divided into three temperature zones [which] was built [by the family's previous and 6th generation chairman] with the sole desire to provide our customers with sake in the best possible condition, without degrading its freshness or flavor"); it was chilly and a little dark and a very much appreciated cool respite from the hot humid weather outside.

I was able to return to Suzuden in Janaury, 2025. I made sure I went in the evening so I could enjoy the tachinomiya. But before I went again I had done a little more research. Tachinomiya literally means "to stand and drink," and this style of drinking goes back to the Edo Period (1803-1868). It is different from an izakaya「居酒屋」in that one can sit down and eat at an izakaya. There are no chairs or stools at a tachinomiya; one is expected to stand while imbibing, which might limit the amount of time a customer stays at a tachinomiya (although I have seen this "rule" broken many times). Specifically, the drinking area at Suzuden is a kakuuchi「角打ち」, a place where customers can drink right at the liquor store. The kakuuchi is a specific type of tachinomiya that is inside a liquor shop rather than a regular drinking establishment like an izakaya or restaurant. There are some differences in terms of modern business licesnses (since 1948) as well. As a part of a liquor store, a kakuuchi has a Liquor Retail License combined with a basic or simplified food permission (canned food, simple snacks, oden, etc.), whereas an izakaya has a license based on food service hospitality regulations.

Before I started drinking, I looked around the sake shop again and bought two more bottles of the same nihonshu I purchased before. The staff was kind enough to wrap the bottles and keep them in a refigerator until I left. While drinking and eating, I was able to interact with more staff members and customers. I also formally met the founding family's 7th generation owner/chairman/represetative director and his sister, the executive vice presdient. I was took many photographs. It was a great evening.

A couple months later I made a small photo album of the photos I had taken in the previous two trips and sent it to Suzuden. They seemed very happy and signed off their thank you letter with "from your friends at Suzuden."

I returned to Suzuden for my fourth time in July, 2025. It had been a year and a half since I had been there. A few of the staff members remembered me. There were some other employees I hadn't met before. I bought two more bottles of my favorite nihonshu. The owners (I include the brother and sister with this term; they are definitely the bosses, but they work on the floor as well, greeting customers, serving drinks and washing dishes as needed) absolutely remembered me. And they gave me a real VIP treatment. The first drink and food orders were on the house. They gave me a shop towel. And they kept coming back to check up on me and talk. (Other customers wondered who the hell I was...) The kakuuchi technically opens at 5:00 PM. I had arrived at the shop a little after 4:30. I was the first to be allowed in the kakuuchi 15 minutes early. But many other people came early as well. The place was completely packed before the official 5:00 opening time. I told the owners that it was a good thing I got there early so I could get a spot at the counter. The sister told me, "you will always have a spot here."

Suzuden is 176 years old; it opened in 1850 (when Tokyo was still Edo) at the same spot where it is now in. The shop has gone through many changes and has weathered the years well, living though historical and challenging times such as the arrival of Commodore Perry and his black ships, the Meiji Restoration, Great Kanto Earthquake, Tokyo air raids, and COVID-19 pandemic. Suzuden has its own history and stories. I am not sure what I can add to that with more of my own simple words. (I apologize for the large amount of text here...)

What I present here are three batches of photos from the three times I visited and took photographs. This is the first time I am documeting Suzuden on VAoJ. This post starts with the most recent photos and then goes back through time. I hope to show the reader/viewer the development of my research, fieldwork, experiences and relationships with Suzuden. I am going to let the photos speak for themselves.

July 2026 ・ 2026年7月

January 2025 ・ 2025年1月

July 2024 ・ 2024年7月

On my way home to Osaka on the shinkansen...
新幹線で大阪の自宅へ帰る途中です...

***

This photo in January, 2025 is of a photographer from the Asahi Shimbun also documenting Suzuden.

I have already questioned what words I could add the to story of Suzuden. I have attempted to offer my own multimodal visual ethnography. But of course there is so much more to know. Not to worry, I will not leave my readers/viewers high and dry. Suzuden has been documented many times before. And so I am including here links to some of the words and photos (probably more illustrative and perfect than my own ethno-photographic attempts) of others that have been motivated to share the stories and history, usually in the context of enjoying sake along the way. I am also including links to more general descriptions of tachinomiya, often from a Kansai perspective. If you have suggestions for additonal links and/or comments and questions, please contact me. And explore VAoJ!

A sample of other online sources about Suzuden:
「鈴傳」に関するその他のオンライン情報源の例：

Suzuden Specialty Sake Shop Official Website
地酒専門店 鈴傳（すずでん） 公式サイト
http://suzuden-sake.com/

東京・四谷《スタンディングルーム鈴傳》
江戸時代から続く角打ちの聖地【前編】
｜新しい酒に出合える角打ちの名店①
Yotsuya, Tokyo: Standing Room Suzuden
A Mecca for *Kaku-uchi* (Shop-front Drinking) Dating Back to the Edo Period [Part 1] (2024)
A Renowned *Kaku-uchi* Spot Where You Can Discover New Sake ①
https://discoverjapan-web.com/article/121369

東京・四谷《スタンディングルーム鈴傳》
日本酒が進む呑兵衛好みの味つけ【後編】
｜新しい酒に出合える角打ちの名店①
Tokyo, Yotsuya: Standing Room Suzuden
Flavors that go perfectly with sake, a favorite of sake lovers [Part 2] (2024)
| A famous standing bar where you can discover new sake ①
https://discoverjapan-web.com/article/121378

創業170年、江戸より続く東京・角打ちの名店 四谷「鈴傳で一杯。」
"A drink at Suzuden in Yotsuya"—a renowned Tokyo *kaku-uchi* (standing bar) with a 170-year history dating back to the Edo period. (2024)
https://otokonokakurega.com/meet/secret-base/101139/

四ツ谷「スタンディングルーム鈴傳」#225　・　おんな類の酒場放浪記　(BS – TBS)
初回放送：2015年7月10日(金)
Yotsuya "Standing Room Suzuden" #225 *Onna-rui no Sakaba Hōrōki* (BS-TBS)
Original broadcast: July 10, 2015 (Fri)
https://bs.tbs.co.jp/onnasakaba/shop/225.html

男の聖地 角打ちに憩う: 全国名物立ち飲み酒屋特選 (ポスト・サピオムック)
Unwinding at the "Kaku-uchi": A Sanctuary for Men—A Selection of Famous Standing Bars Nationwide (Post-Sapio Mook, 2016)
Information about the mook: https://www.shogakukan.co.jp/news/141920
Available at Amazon.jp: https://www.amazon.co.jp/男の聖地-角打ちに憩う-全国名物立ち飲み酒屋特選-ポスト・サピオムック-小学館/dp/4091031684

Related Miscellaneous Sources on Japanese Tachinomiya and Kakuuchi:
日本の立ち呑み屋・角打ちに関するその他の関連資料

創業150余年なんばの老舗角打ち・シバチョウ本店をご紹介 Introducing Shibacho Main Store, a long-established standing bar in Namba with over 150 years of history. (2021)
https://ebisubashi-magazine.com/namba-shibacho-kakuuchi/

The Ultimate Local Experience: A Guide to Osaka’s Kaku-uchi Scene (2026)
https://osakaa.net/experience/osaka-kakuuchi-guide/

The Oldest Kakuuchi in Namba: Going Deep at SHIBACHO (2026)
https://www.osaka.com/drink/the-oldest-kakuuchi-in-namba-going-deep-at-shibacho/

Expoloring Osaka's Standing Bars Sober: A Guide to Friendly Fuse osaka.com/eat/exploring-osakas-standing-bars-sober-a-guide-to-friendly-fuse/

The standing bars of Osaka: Cheap, cheerful and nostalgic (2018)
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2018/11/10/food/standing-bars-osaka-cheap-cheerful-nostalgic/

Kansai Tachinomiya Dive Bar Guide
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1386385474945319

VAoJ S2023RT Arc: Returning Home on the "Izakaya Shinkansen" (6/30/23)

This research trip has been in part driven by Japanese television media productions such as shows about izakaya/tachinomiya and meshi tero dramas. The influence that guided my last adventure in the field is a popular drama called Izakaya Shinkansen (MBS). The protagonist is a salariman who often takes business trips on the bullet train. When his official duty is over, he goes shopping at local shops for local products and alcohol. This is not a new theme; there are many cable TV shows, YouTube videos and social media posts about ekiben (short for eki bento or train station boxed lunches). Many people enjoy eating and drinking on the train, especially the local products or special lunches sold only at a certain station. Train stations have stores for people to buy snacks or food that are popular in that geographic area that serve as the obligatory omiyage, or souvenirs for family, friends and co-workers. This newer drama is a bit different in that the main character packs a special kit for his return trip with chop sticks, bottle openers, glasses, plates… whatever he needs to consume his hand-picked izakaya meal. As a part of the story he posts photos on social media of what he is eating and drinking. He always gets several replies filled with envy and/or information about the local products. Yes, the smartphone once again becomes an important prop/tool providing anonymous characters adding to the dialogue. So many levels of meshi tero!

Now it was my turn to take the Izakaya Shinkansen; I went shopping in Monzen Nakacho…

The first shop I noticed soon after I got to Monzen Nakacho. Across my from my hotel was, not the HANSHIN TIGERS but the TIGER GYOZA HALL, “A gyoza bar with a retro atmosphere from the Taisho and Showa eras.” Although there was no connection to baseball, I still thought the fancy sign was a good omen. I asked around and was told this shop was good, especially the jumbo gyoza and other Chinese-style foods. They have a special take-out menu and I ordered the jumbo gyoza, karage chicken and sesame balls.

The next shop I went to was a sake shop, Orihara Shoten. They had many refrigerators filled with cold bottles of sake - lots to choose from! They sell bottles and single drinks as well. This kind of shop is probably what many people think of when they hear the term, tachinomiya. This kind of shop doesn't have a license to be a restaurant but can still sell drinks and simple snacks. There is no seating available.

So, the process here is that the customer chooses the sake they want, takes the bottle out of the refrigerator and brings it to the counter. For a single drink, there are small or large sizes available. After the sake is poured for them, the customer pays, puts the bottle back into the refrigerator and enjoy their drink at a narrow, tall counter or table, some inside, some outside. Customers include salariman-types, neighbors and young people (women and men). The shop seems traditional in terms of appearance, process and behavior. But it is modern, too, with young people working there – including the manager, and their musical choices (John Lennon, The Red Hot Chilli Peppers).

I must admit I went to this shop twice, the second time for my shinkansen sake. The manager was happy to see me again and was very generous with his advice and free samples. With the manager's recommendation, I purchased 基峰鶴 ＶＥＬＶＥＴ 純米吟醸生 (Kihotsuru VELVET Pure rice ginjo raw) from Saga Prefecture (13% alcohol, described as soft and elegant). Delicious!

I bought dessert on the bullet train...

Rainy day when we reached Kyoto Station. Not too much more time to finish eating and drinking...

Old man fashion...

The table in front of me was crowded with food and drink. And it was smelly (in a good way, I thought…). Being a little embarrassed, I apologized to the passenger sitting the closest to me and asked if he was hungry or thirsty. He smiled, laughed and then politely refused.

おじゃましました。
ごちそさまでした！

REFERENCES

居酒屋新幹線 (Izakaya Shinkansen) website (MBS): https://www.mbs.jp/izakayashinkansen/

タイガー餃子会館 門前仲町店 (Tiger Gyoza Kaikan Monzennakacho) website: https://kiwa-group.co.jp/tiger_monzen/

折原商店 (Orihara Shoten) website: https://www.orihara-net.co.jp/oriharashoten/

さかや栗原 (Japanese Sake Kuihara) website: https://www.sakaya-kurihara.jp/item/2015ho-955/